I Really Cannot Stand My Neighbors

Most of my neighbors are really nice. But there's this one family across the street...ugh!

It's a woman and her two grown kids (probably early 20's) and one of them has a kid that's about 5 years old. They come and go at all hours, which would be fine, but the music in the cars that drop them off is blaring at 3 am or they will be banging on the door to get in (they have these security gates which is really unusual for this area). Once I was really startled in the middle of the night, they were banging so loudly, it sounded like it was my door. And don't get me started on that kid. He's always out running around even as late as 11 pm. He has shouted the b-word across the street, he has toy guns that he aims and shoots at me (which his mother thinks is hilarious by the way). The other day he was up in the bed of the truck just beating some stuffed animals to pulp-he kept throwing it out of the truck and climbing back up-so unsafe.

A few weeks ago my dog and I were sitting outside in our yard and a truck pulls up right in front of us. Now my dog is on always on a leash, she is usually really good, but when he got out of the car, he slid across the hood and she's never seen anyone do that before-- she started barking. He says "ma'am, do you have that dog?" and I said yes, that I had her. I told her to stop barking and she did. His friend in the truck says "want me to take care of that mutt for you" and had his finger pointed up like a gun.

Tonight I was walking her in my yard and the ATT guy walks up trying to sell me something. I'm telling him I'm not interested-she barks, which I'm sorry, is her job-there's a strange man coming toward us in her yard. They yell from across the street "control that dog!". As soon as I told her to sit, she did, she even laid down while the man was talking. I really wanted to yell back "I'll control my dog, when you start controlling your kid".

It's awful to be afraid to go out in your own front yard depending on who is home across the street.

How awful. My next door neighbors always let their son play in the bed of the truck or even in the truck when he was little.

The neighbors across the street are a trip. They use to yell something awful. The boy got suspended for taking a knife to school. He use to come home from work drunk driving his truck. He'd sometimes run into whatever car of their's that was parked on the street. When the kids got into high school it got much better. Then he stopped working.

On the plus side, he taught my daughter how to ride her bike. Of course, he was 3 sheets to the wind that day.

Sadly, I wouldn't confront them like you want to - they sound like they have a few loose screws.

Make sure you ignore any attempts they make for conversation unless it is vital. When they ask you to "control your dog" when you clearly have her under control, ignore them - do not acknowledge them in any way.

When you hear loud banging that scares you awake at 3am, call the cops. It's your right, plus they'll get the idea pretty quick that yelling and screaming at all times of the night isn't acceptable.

Also, I don't like the sound of it. It really comes off like they have no problem intimidating you. Two grown men threatening your dog, and in a sense, talking down to you...trouble. I don't like it.

Ugh. Just reading that made my head hurt. This is one reason, sadly, why I don't really want to buy another house. I own two right now. The first one I bought in a neighborhood where all good neightbors moved out and were filled with neighbors like yours (many even worse....). The second house I bought is in a nice neighborhood. There was a family kind of like yours at the end of the cul-de-sac. They ended up getting evicted or something like that. They threw this huge party and were gone the next day or so. Good riddance.

I'm renting the second house out to my parents. The first one I'm renting through a property management company.

Right now, hubby and I are living in an apartment. This is my first time living in an apartment since I graduated from college back in 2005. And frankly, I love it. It's nice to not be stuck in one location. If I get tired of neightbors or location, it's nice to know that I can just up and leave.

Sigh... sad, though. Sorry you have to deal with those types of people.

What an unpleasant situation! I just hate unruly kids who are running around all over the place! Thank God I don't really come across any.

Any chance that you'll move anytime soon? (Not to say that they should run you away.)

I've lived in my apt complex for 4.5 mos now & surprisingly, it's still as wonderful as when I moved in. I hardly see any kids around period. My closest neighbors have 2 or 3 little kids & they could easily have them running all around, riding their tricyles all in front of my door that's only a few feet from their front door, but thank God they keep their kids indoors at all times!

My closest neighbors have 2 or 3 little kids & they could easily have them running all around, riding their tricyles all in front of my door that's only a few feet from their front door, but thank God they keep their kids indoors at all times!

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How very sad. Three little kids SHOULD be out all the time on those tricycles!!

The only people on my street who were BAD neighbors lived in the house that I live in now so they are gone LOL I heard that their teenage children would cause disturbances late at night. People were so glad when they moved and we moved in!
The woman across the street from me is moving soon and I'm kind of worried about the people moving in. I hope they are quiet. They have a big dog though so I'm hoping they keep it leashed and I don't find it in MY yard bothering my little dog (who is always leashed!!).

My original post here was about how kids shouldn't be playing around, throwing balls back & forth potentially hitting parked cars windows, riding bikes all around peoples' doors, etc. There's a proper place for kids to play. If they get hurt falling down a stairwell on their tricycle because parents don't give a care about them playing around in a part of the complex where they shouldn't be, then that's on them.

I think there's a big difference between the OP's situation, and the situation of kids having fun riding tricycles...

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I agree. I love when my neighbors' kids go outside and play. I don't mind hearing them giggle, bounce basketballs, etc. I DO mind when the adults stand in their carport and shout, either at each other or at their kids or at their dogs. So many times, I get in the tub with a nice LUSH bath bomb and a good magazine, and then all of a sudden the neighbors are standing right outside the window and shouting! They also keep their dogs out and let them bark all night.

Darn right...at the proper place/play area! You wouldn't like them all in front of your door, making noises, disrupting you. The OP can send you guys her neighbors then.

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Whoa, deep breaths.

I didn't say they should be smoking pot or hurting puppy dogs, I said that they should be out on their tricycles instead of inside all the time. "Out" is not on a stairwell. "Out" is outside, in the fresh air.

And honestly, I love the sound of kids playing. I'm fine with the sounds of 3 and 4 year olds playing... it's music to my ears. Send me all the toddlers you want. I can't imagine the sounds they would make that would be THAT big a disruption. So feel free to send a classful of 3 and 4 year olds--I'll put down my schoolwork and go out and play with them.

Loving kids is part of why I became a teacher.

In fact, one of the things we looked for when we bought this house was a neighborhood with kids (even though we were 8 years away from having any ourselves.) Aside from the fact that I love kids, I also know that parents tend to be attentive to what's going on in a neighborhood as they watch their kids. They're aware of strangers, of anyone hanging out, of anything that's a potential threat. That normally translates into people watching out for my best interests as well.

We've had some pretty bad neighbors through the years. When we were first married, one neighbor threatened to kill our kittens. He was a mean drunk. We moved to the country.
Where we live now, the neighbors right next door abandoned their house (long story,) but they were not good neighbors.When they went through their divorce, they didn't take care of their two cats, so I climbed through the window or just walked in the door when it was unlocked and fed/watered, brushed their cats and took their fish, aquarium and all to my house! Would you believe they never even asked me about any of it!?

We always seem to have neighbors whose yards are the picture of perfection. One woman used to crawl around the lawn picking up petals from the morning glories after they fell. Now we have elderly neighbors who all use a lawn service.
I guess you'd like that kind of neighbor.